CROW CROWS

This is my college assignment on brand and identity research.

Overview: This course provided fundamental experiences in brand designing by requiring me to conduct research on animal species and learn their fundamental principles before redesigning their brand identity for local markets.

Reflection: Learning about an animal establishes an interesting subject for review together with learning about brand identity tasks. The research and practical work serve as foundational knowledge for my future approach to understanding design methods in branding.

Part 1

RESEARCH TO IDENTIFY - THE CROW

Brief introduction: An investigation into the identity of the Crow entity.
Objective: To explore and analyze the characteristics, environment, relationships, and self-presentation of the Crow in its natural and daily contexts.
Chosen Entity: Crow

1. Overview

2. Research & Inspiration

General Research: Present background information on crows, including different species within the Corvidae family, general traits like their calls, eating habits, and curiosity.
Analysis: Detail key characteristics, focusing on the distinctive 'caw-caw' sound, vocal diversity, and human interpretations of these calls (related to danger, emotion, mockery, prophecy). Contrast this with the actual purpose of their vocalizations within crow communication.
Wording Collection: Showcase the collected and ranked words associated with crows during the research phase (e.g., Black, Danger, Family, Smart, Voice, Noisy, Team Work, etc.).

Matrix & Connections: Display the matrix connecting keywords/concepts to explore their relationships (e.g., Smart -> Mimic, Voice -> Communication -> Warning, Black -> Danger -> Unlucky).
Values: Define the core identity values of the Crow based on the analysis (e.g., Appearance: Black; Crow-Voice: Communication, Noisy, Mimic, Warning, Danger, Emotions; Space: With Family, Trees).
Identity Map: Present the visual identity map incorporating key elements like Assets, Spaces, and Values. State the main concept: “Crows’ voice in reality and humans' belief,” and the secondary concept: “Crows’ voice makes people easily recognize crows without seeing them”.

3. Sketch & Ideation

4. Final Design (Identity Style Guide)

Primary Images: Main visuals clearly depicting the crow's appearance and characteristics.
Secondary Images (Textures/Shapes): Supporting visuals like sound wave patterns (representing voice) and animal silhouettes (context/environment).
Color Palette: The chosen primary colors (Black, White, Red) with rationale (Black from appearance, White for balance, Red relating to danger/warning).
Typography: The selected font system (Primary font for headings/special design, Secondary font for readable body text) and their styles (Regular, Bold, Cond).

Part 2

NOTION OF THE BRAND

1. Overview

Brief introduction: Building upon the foundational research from part 1, this project focuses on defining and visualizing a "brand" concept for the Crow entity.
Objective: To develop a brand narrative, storyboard, and produce a 2-minute video that establishes global branding for the Crow, showcasing its uniqueness and lifestyle using the previously defined Identity Style Guide.

Recap Core Concept: Briefly reiterate the central belief/conception of the Crow identified in part 1 (e.g., the contrast between human perception of the crow's voice as annoying or ominous versus its actual use for communication within its sophisticated social structure).
Brand/Lifestyle Description: Present the brief description developed for the Crow's lifestyle/brand, elaborating on the core belief identified. Explain how this description aims to capture the entity's essence for a global audience.

2. Research & Inspiration

(Brand Concept Development)

3. Sketch & Ideation

(Video Development Process)

Moodboard: The overall theme of the moodboard is spooky and nocturnal, with strong Halloween influences. It evokes a sense of mystery and eerie atmosphere through dark silhouettes, graveyards, bats, and nighttime forest scenes contrasted against large, glowing moons or sunset colors. There's also a touch of modern abstract design incorporated through geometric shapes and soundwave graphics, adding a contemporary or perhaps sonic element to the spooky vibe.
Storyboard: Showcase the digital key frames developed for the 2-minute video. Describe the narrative flow and how it tells the story of the Crow's uniqueness and lifestyle, aligning with the brand description.

Branding Video: 2-minute video
Style Guide Integration: Identity Style Guide (Primary/Secondary Images, Color Palette, Typography) were incorporated into the video's visuals.

4. Final Design

(Video Production)

Part 3

BRAND MAKEOVER FOR LOCALIZED AUDIENCE

1. Overview

Brief introduction: Adapting the Crow brand identity, developed globally in part 1 and 2, for a specific local context.
Objective: To research, develop, propose, and present a re-designed Brand-Identity tailored for a local Vietnamese audience, explaining the rationale and changes needed for cultural resonance.
Chosen Local Audience: Vietnamese primary school teachers, aged 30-35.

Baseline - Global Identity
New Findings - Local Context: Introduce the key research finding for localization: the Vietnamese folktale "The Golden Star Fruit Tree".
Cultural Significance: Explain how this folktale positively reframes the crow's symbolism within Vietnamese culture, shifting perception from potentially ambiguous or negative traits (identified globally) towards concepts like mysterious guidance, luck, and deserved reward.
Target Audience Analysis: Detail the chosen audience (Vietnamese primary teachers, 30-35 ) and the reasoning (familiarity with folktales, role in educating children, influence on future generations).

2. Research & Inspiration (Localization Strategy)

3. Sketch & Ideation

(Re-branding Concepts)

Problem Statement: Define the core challenge: How to leverage the positive narrative of "The Golden Star Fruit Tree" to create a relevant and appealing brand identity for the target audience.
Revised Values: Present the updated list of brand values incorporating the folktale's elements (e.g., Crow-Voice evolving to include 'Mysterious Guidance', 'Lucky'; Space adding 'Star fruit tree'; Appearance linking to 'Gold').
Revised Moodboard: Showcase the new moodboard that visually integrates the localized elements (illustrations/images of gold coins, starfruit) with the original crow aesthetics.

Present the revised Identity Style Guide proposed for the Vietnamese audience:
- Primary Images: Feature the crow alongside new key visuals: gold coins and a starfruit slice.
- Color Palette: Explain the updated color palette (Black, Red, Yellow) highlighting the cultural significance (Red as a lucky color in Vietnam, Yellow representing the gold from the folktale).
Revised Identity Map: Display the updated identity map visually summarizing the re-branded concept with localized values and elements.

4. Final Design (Re-branded Identity Proposal)

Page updated

Google Sites

Report abuse